My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ Turner Field ’

Seven runs scored in the seventh and eighth innings, including a career first grand-slam home run by pinch hitter Carlos Ruiz, gives the Phils a 10-2 win over the Braves.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Ben Francisco hits an RBI single, scoring Shane Victorino who had started the game off with a double, then went to third on Jimmy Rollins’ ground out, 3-1, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Braves tied the game up at one-all in the third as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Freddie Freeman hits an RBI single, knocking in Alex Gonzalez, who had earlier doubled. Two batters later, after Brandon Beachy had moved Freeman up to second base with a sacrifice bunt, 1-4, the Braves took the lead as Martin Prado hits a single to right, which Francisco misfielded for an error, allowing Freeman to score, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead. The Phils retook the lead in the fourth as, with a man on, and with two man out, Brian Schneider hits a two-run home run, his first home run of the season, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had just walked, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Braves then tried to regain the lead in the sixth, as they loaded the bases, via a single by Chipper Jones, and walks to Brian McCann and Dan Uggla, with two men out. But Roy Oswalt got out of the inning by getting Jason Heyward to pop up to the third baseman for the inning’s final out. The Phils then broke the game wide open in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a double by Ibanez, a pinch hit single by pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. sending Ibanez over to third base, and a walk to Wilson Valdez, moving Mayberry, Jr. up to second base, and with nobody out, pinch hitter Carlos Ruiz hits a pinch hit grand-slam home run, his first home run of the season, and his first career grand-slam, knocking in Ibanez, Mayberry, Jr. and Vadez, giving the Phils a 7-2 lead. Three batters later, with a man on second, and with two men out, the Phils made it an 8-2 lead as Howard hits an RBI double, knocking in Victorino, who had earlier singled, then stole second base. The Phils then made it a 9-2 lead in the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ruiz hits an RBI double, scoring pinch hitter Michael Martinez, who had earlier singled. The Phils then took a 10-2 lead as Victorino hits an RBI single, scoring Ruiz. That would be the final score, as J.C. Romero and Danys Baez would pitch a pair of scoreless innings.

Roy Oswalt (2-0, 2.25) got the win as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on five runs and two walks, while he struck out only two batters. David Herndon, J.C. Romero and Danys Baez combined for three scoreless innings, giving up only one hit (Baez), while striking out one (Baez). Brandon Beachy (0-1, 3.75) took the lost as he pitched six innings plus one batter, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out two batters. George Sherrill pitched to two batters, giving up two runs on a hit and a walk. Scott Linebrink pitched an inning, giving up two runs on three hits, while striking out two. Cristhian Martinez pitched two innings, giving up two runs on four hits,while also striking out two.

The Phils had fifteen hits in the game, with Shane Victorino leading the team with four hits, three singles and a double, knocking in a run, while scoring two, lifting his average to .375. Jimmy Rollins (Single, Double) and Carlos Ruiz (Grand-Slam Home Run, Double, 5 RBIs) followed with two hits each. Ryan Howard (Double, RBI), Ben Francisco (Single, RBI), Raul Ibanez (Double), Brian Schneider (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Roy Oswalt (Single), pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. (Single) and pinch hitter Michael Martinez (Single) had the other seven Phils’ hits. The Phils offense went back to where they had left off on Thursday, while their pinch hitters went three for three, knocking in four runs, all on Carlos Ruiz’s first career grand-slam home run.

The Phils (6-2, 1st) will conclude their three-games series with the Braves (4-5, 3rd) tomorrow with an afternoon game at Turner Field. The game will start at 1:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (0-1, 20.25), who is coming off a horrible start against the Mets on April 5, as he went only two and two-thirds innings, giving up six runs on seven hits, two walks and a hit batter, while striking out only three batters, in the Phils’ 7-1 lost. He will be trying to bounce back from that lost. Derek Lowe (1-1, 0.77), who is coming off a lost against the Brewers on April 5, as he pitched six innings, giving a run on five hits and three walks, while he struck out seven, in the Braves’ 6-1 lost. He will be trying to give the Braves the series win. The Phils will be going for their third series win, while looking to see if Hamels will bounce back from his previous start.

Cliff Lee blew a three-run lead, before losing the game, as the Phils dropped their road opener to the Braves, 6-3.

The Phils took a 1-0 lead in the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on Placido Polanco’s single, then went to third when Jimmy Rollins hits into a 3-6 force out, wiping out Polanco at second base, after Rollins had stolen second base. The Phils then took a 2-0 lead as, with one man on, and now with two men out, Ben Francisco hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins. The Phils then made it a 3-0 lead as, with two men on, and with one man out, Victorino hits into an RBI forced out, 4-6, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on Wilson Valdez’s ground out, 6-3, then went to third on shortstop Alex Gonzalez’s fielding error of Cliff Lee’s grounder, while Lee, who had earlier been safe on first on Gonzalez’s error, was wiped out at second base, while Victorino was safe on first base. The Braves then came back in their half of the second, as they cut the Phils’ lead down to 3-1 as, with a runner on third, and with no one out, Gonzalez hits an RBI double, scoring Jason Heyward, who had earler tripled. Three batters later, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Martin Prado hits a ground-rule double, scoring Gonzalez, who had moved up to third on Freddie Freeman’s single, making it a 3-2 Phils’ lead, while Freeman, who had earlier singled, stopped at third base. The Braves then tied the game up at three-all as Nate McLouth hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, scoring Freeman, while sending Prado to third base. The Braves then took the lead in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via Freeman being hit by a pitch, a single by Prado, moving Freeman up to second base, and a single by McLouth, with both runners moving up a base, and with one man out, Chipper Jones hits a three-run double, that Victorino had missplayed, giving the Braves a 6-3 lead. The Braves then turned the Phils away in the fifth as, with the bases loaded via a single by Kyle Kendrick, a single by Victorino, sending Kendrick to second base, who then moved to third as Polanco hits into a force out, 4-unassisted, as Dan Uggla tagged Victorino in the base path, allowing Polanco to be safe at first, who, in turned would move up to second as Tim Hudson committed a fielding error as he tried to field Rollins’ grounder, and with one man out, Howard check swinged into a 1-2-3 doubleplay, as Kendrick is out at the plate. That would be the final score as the Phils are unable to mount up much of an offense after that miss opportunity.

Cliff Lee (1-1, 7.84) took the lost as he lasted only three and a third innings, giving up six runs on ten hits, one walk, and one hit batter, while he struck out only three. Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo and J.C. Romero then followed, together pitching four and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Kendrick (1), Bastardo (1)) and two walks (Kendrick (1), Romero (1)), while striking out eighth batters between them (Bastardo (6), Romero (1)). Tim Hudson (2-0, 1.84) got the win, as he pitched seven and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned, on eight hits, while he struck out two. Jonny Venters received his third hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only man that he would face. Craig Kimbrel recorded his third save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. The Phils’ bullpen once again did an excellent job after a starter was knocked out early.

The Phils offense had only eight hits, with Shane Victorino (Singles, RBI), Ben Francisco (Single, Double, RBI) and Carlos Ruiz (Singles) each leading the team with two hits. Placido Polanco and Kyle Kendrick had the other two Phils’ hits, both singles, while Ryan Howard knocked in the other Phil run, via a sac fly. The Phils took an early lead, but they missed an opportunity to get back in the ballgame in a bases loaded, one out, situation in the fifth, as Howard hits into a double play.

The Phils (5-2, 1st) continue their three-games road trip with the Braves (4-4, 3rd) at Turner Field. The game will start at 1:10 pm EDT, and it will be nationally televised on Fox-TV. The Phils will send to the mound Roy Oswalt (1-0, 3.00), who is coming off a win against the Astros on April 3, as he went six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while he struck out six, in the Phils’ 7-3 win. He will be trying to even up the series. The Braves will counter with Brandon Beachy (0-0, 1.50), as he is coming off a no-decision against the Brewers on April 4, as he went six innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, while he struck out seven, in the Braves’ 2-1 win. He will be trying to handle the Phils’ offense. The Phils will be trying to recover from last night’s lost to even up the series.

The bats pounded the Mets, giving Roy Halladay plenty of runs support as the Phils shut out the Mets, 11-0.

After Roy Halladay pitched himself out of a bases loaded, one out, jam in the top of the third, the Phils took the lead in their half of the inning as, with one man on, and with one man out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Wilson Valdez, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Halladay’s sacrifice bunt, 2-4, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, before Victorino would go to second base on center fielder Angel Pagan’s throwing error. The Phils then took a 2-0 lead as Placido Polanco hits an RBI double, scoring Victorino. The Phils then increased their lead in the fourth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Ben Francisco, who had earlier singled, then went to second when Raul Ibanez was hit by the pitch, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead, while sending Ibanez, who had been hit by the pitch, to second base. The Phils then made it a 4-0 lead as Valdez hits an RBI double, knocking in Ibanez, while sending Ruiz on to third base. Three batters later, with still two men on, and now with two men out, Polanco hits a two-run single, scoring both Ruiz and Valdez, giving the Phils a 6-0 lead. The Phils then took an 8-0 lead in the fifth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Valdez hits a two-run double, his second double of the game, knocking in Ryan Howard, who had earlier singled, then reached second on Ike Davis’ throwing error on an Ibanez ground ball, as he tried to force out Howard at second base, and Ibanez, who had been safe at first on Davis’ throwing error, before he is thrown out at third base trying to stretch it into a triple, 8-6-5, to end the inning. The Phils then took a 10-0 lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ibanez hits a two-run home run, his first home run of the season, knocking in Howard, who had been safe on a force out, 3-6, as Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled, was wiped out at second base thanks to the shift. The Phils would score once more in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Polanco hits into an RBI force out, 6-4, knocking in Valdez, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr’s single, then went to third on Victorino’s fly out, giving the Phils’ an 11-0 lead, while Mayberry, Jr., who had earlier singled, is wiped out at second base, while Polanco would beat the throw back to first. That would be the final score as David Herndon threw a scoreless ninth.

Roy Halladay (1-0, 0.69) got the win as he pitched seven innings, giving up six scattered hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Danys Baez and David Herndon combined for two shut out innings, giving up a hit (Baez) and a walk (Herndon) between them. Jon Niese (0-1, 6.55) took the lost as he pitched only four innings, giving up six runs on eight hits and a walk, while he struck out seven Phils. Pedro Beato pitched two innings, giving up two unearned runs on three hits. Tim Byrdak pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, while striking out a batter. D.J. Carrasco pitched an inning, giving up a run on three hits. Despite not throwing his best stuff, Halladay stayed in there until the offense started to score runs. Then he started to get control of the Mets, before handing it over to the bullpen for two scoreless final innings.

The Phils had their second straight sixteen hits game, with all of the starters, including Roy Halladay, having at least one hit. Wilson Valdez lead the team with four hits, two singles and two doubles, as he knocked in three runs, as he increased his batting average to .429. Shane Victorino (Singles, RBI), Placido Polanco (Single, Double, 4 RBIs) and Jimmy Rollins (Singles), all followed with two hits each. Ryan Howard (Single), Raul Ibanez (HR, 2 RBIs), Ben Francisco (Single), Carlos Ruiz (Single, RBI), Roy Halladay (Single) and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. (Single), had the other six Phils’ hits. After scoring only one run on seven hits in the opener of the three games set, the Phils have come back to score 21 runs, while getting thirty-two hits. Meanwhile, the Phils’ pinch hitter have gone 7 for 12 with a walk, during the first six games, knocking in two runs.

The Phils (5-1, 1st) will go on the road for the first time this season, to face the Braves (3-4, 4th) in Atlanta for three games, starting tomorrow night. The game will be played at Turner Field, and will start at 7:35 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (1-0, 3.86), who won his first start against the Astros on April 2, as he pitched seven inning, giving up three runs on four hits, while he struck out eleven in the Phils’ 9-4 win. He will be going for his second win of the season, while trying to add to the Braves present woes. The Braves will counter with Tim Hudson (1-0, 1.29), who is coming off a win against the Nationals on April 3, as he went seven innings, giving up a run on three hits and a walk, while he struck out five, in the Braves’ 11-2 rout of the Nats. He will be trying to end the Braves present three-game losing streak. The Phils will hit the road for the first time this season, for three games in Atlanta and three more in Washington, D.C.

Roy Halladay goes to 4-0 as he throws a five-hit complete game shutout against the Braves, 2-0. The win leaves the Phils all alone in first place in the NL East.

The Phils took a 1-0 lead in the second as, with a runner on second, and with no body out, Raul Ibanez hits a RBI ground-rule double, scoring Jayson Werth, who had earlier doubled. The Phils increased their lead to 2-0 in the sixth as, with no one out, Werth hits an RBI double, scoring Ryan Howard, who had earlier singled, while Werth would move up to third on the throw to the plate. In the bottom of the seventh, the Braves tried to get back into the game as they loaded the bases via two straight singles to Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, which sent Jones up to second base, and a walk to Jason Heyward, moving both Jones and McCann up a base, and with one man out, but Halladay got out of the inning by getting Yunel Escobar to hit into a 4-6-3 double play, after a great stop by second baseman Chase Utley, wiping out Heyward at second base. That would be it for the Braves as Halladay ended the game in the ninth by getting Troy Glaus to ground out, 5-3, to end the game.

Roy Halladay took the win as he pitches a complete game shut out, giving up just five hits and a walk, while striking out seven. His record is now 4-0 with a reduced ERA of 0.82. Tim Hudson took the lost as he goes six innings, giving up two runs on six hits, two walks and a hit batsman, as he strikes out five. His record is now 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA. Jonny Venters pitches two scoreless innings, as he strikes out two. Takashi Saito pitches a scoreless inning, as he gives up one hit, while he strikes out a batter.

The Phils had seven hits in the game, with Jayson Werth leading the team with two hits, both doubles, as he knocks in a run. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Juan Castro and Carlos Ruiz had the other five Phils’ hits. Ibanez, Utley and Ruiz’s hits were all doubles, with Ibanez’s being a ground-rule double, as he knocks in the other Phil run.

The Phils (9-5, 1st) will conclude their three-games series with the Braves (8-6, 2nd) tonight with a night game. The game will be played at Turner Field and will begin at 7:10 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Jamie Moyer (1-1, 7.50), who is coming off a lost against the Marlins on April 17, as he pitched six innings, giving up five runs on six hits and one walk, while he struck out seven, in the Phils’ 5-1 lost. He will be trying to improve on the last five innings of the previous game. The Braves will counter with Derek Lowe (3-0, 4.67), who is coming off a win against the Rockies on April 16, as he goes five and a third inning, as he gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out five. He will be trying to continue on his previous season dominance of the Phils. The Phils will be trying to leave Atlanta with a series win, before heading West to Phoenix to meet the ‘backs.

A good performance by Kyle Kendrick goes to waste as the Phils’ bullpen gives up three late innings home runs, as the Phils lose in ten innings to the Braves, 4-3. They are now tied for first place in the East with the Braves.

The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, scoring Chase Utley, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. Later that same inning, Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick pitches himself out of a jam, as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Martin Prado, a double to Chipper Jones, which sent Prado over to third, and an intentional walk to Brian McCann, and with one man out, Troy Glaus hits into a 5-4-3 double play, wiping out McCann at second base. The Phils then increased their lead in the fifth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Utley hits an RBI single, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had earlier doubled, to give the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Phils would make it 3-0 in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Utley hits an RBI force out, 6-4, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, and then went to third on Polanco’s single, while wiping out Polanco, who had earlier singled, at second base. The Braves then came back in the ninth as, with a runner on first, and with two men out, Gluas hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, knocking in Jones, who had earlier walked, cutting the Phils’ lead to 3-2. The next batter, Jason Heyward, then tied the game up at three-all with a solo shot, his fourth home run of the season. After Billy Wagner pitches a 1-2-3 top of the tenth, Phils’ reliever Jose Contreras threw a 2-2 curve that Nate McLouth hits into right field for a walk-off home run, his first home run of the season, to give the Braves a 4-3 win.

Kyle Kendrick pitches a no-decision as he goes eight strong inning, his first good start of the season, as he gives up only four hits and two walks, while striking out two. Ryan Madson records his first blown save of the season as he pitches an inning, giving up three runs on two hits, both home runs, and a walk. Jose Contreas took the lost as he pitches to one batter, giving up a run on one hit, a home run. His record is now 0-1 with an ERA of 2.45. Tommy Hanson also pitches a no-decision, as he lasts only four and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while he strikes out four. Eric O’Flaherty pitches a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Peter Moylan pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out two. Kris Medlen pitches two innings, giving up a run on two hits, as he strikes out a batter. Jesse Chavez pitches a 1-2-3 inning. Billy Wagner gets the win as he also pitches a 1-2-3 inning. His record is now 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA.

The Phils recorded nine hits in the game, with Placido Polanco and Chase Utley leading the team with two hits each, with both men recording a single and a double, while Utley knocked in two runs. Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Juan Castro had the other five Phils’ hits, with Werth’s hit being a double. Howard knocked in the other Phils’ run with an RBI single.

The Phils (8-5, 1st-T) continue their three games visit with the Braves (8-5, 1st-T) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Turner Field and will start at 7:10 pm Eastern. The Phillies will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (3-0, 1.13), who is coming off a strong win against the Marlins on April 16, where he went eight innings, giving up two runs on eight scattered hits, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 8-6 win. He will be going for his fourth straight win in as many starts, while trying to put a stop to the Phils’ present three games losing streak. The Braves will counter with Tim Hudson (1-0, 2.84), who is coming off a win against the Padres on April 15, as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits and five walks, in the Braves’ 6-2 win. He will be trying to match Halladay pitch for pitch. The Phils, meanwhile, will be trying to regroup after such a tough lost, and put a stop to their present losing streak.

Two home run blasts by Ryan Howard and a pair of homers by Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco help lead the Phils to a 9-4 victory over the Braves. The Phils’ magic number over both the Braves and the Marlins is now at eight.

The Braves tried to take an early lead in the second with a runner on second and with two men out, as Tim Hudson hits a single to left field. Matt Diaz, who had earlier doubled, rounded third, attempting to score, as Raul Ibanez threw a strike to home plate. Carlos Ruiz, who was blocking home plate, grabbed the ball and held on to it as he tagged out Diaz, keeping the score at 0-0. Ruiz would leave the game later with a sprained wrist. The Braves then took a 1-0 lead in the third as, with one man out, Martin Prado hits a solo home run, his tenth home run of the season. The Phils then took the lead in the fourth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run bomb, his thirty-ninth home run of the year, knocking in Ben Francisco, who had earlier singled, making it 2-1 Phils. The Phils then increased their lead in the sixth as, with two men out, Howard hits a solo shot, his fortieth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the eighth as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Jimmy Rollins, a single by Chase Utley, which sent Rollins to third, a steal of second base by Utley, and then Howard being hit by the pitch, and with one man out, Jayson Werth hits a two-run single, knocking in both Rollins and Utley, making it 5-1 Phils, while sending Howard on to second. The Braves cut the Phils’ lead in their half of the eighth as, with a man on base and with two men out, Brian McCann hits a two-run home run of his own, his twentieth home run of the year, knocking in Prado, who had earlier singled, making it a 5-3 Phils lead. The Phils then broke the game wide open in the ninth as, with two men on, and with one out, Rollins hits a three-run home run, his nineteenth home run of the year, knocking in Paul Bako and pinch hitter Matt Stairs, who had both walked, giving the Phils an 8-3 lead. The next batter, Francisco, then hits a home run of his own, his fifteenth home run of the season, making it 9-3 Phils. In the Braves’ half of the ninth, with a runner on second and with one man out, Adam LaRoche hits an RBI single, knocking in Garret Anderson, who had earlier doubled, making it a 9-4 Phils’ lead. But that would be the final score as Chad Durbin got Nate McLouth to fly out to left for the final out.

J.A. Happ received a no-decision as he pitched just three innings, taken out as an injury precaution, giving up only a run on five hits, while striking out one. Kyle Kendrick got the win as he pitched four scoreless innings, giving up three hits. His record is now 2-1 with an ERA of 2.70. Tyler Walker pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, as he struck out a batter. Ryan Madson collected his twenty-fourth hold as he got out the only batter he would face. Chad Durbin pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Tim Hudson took the lost as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out three. His record is now 1-1 with a 3.70 ERA. Kris Medlen pitched a third of an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and a walk. Boone Logan pitched to one batter, hitting him. Manny Acosta pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit. Vladimir Nunez pitched an inning, giving up four runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Ben Francisco and Jayson Werth both leading the way with three hits each, with Francisco hitting a double and a solo home run, while one of Werth’s hits knocked in two runs. Ryan Howard followed with two hits, both home runs, which knocked in three runs. Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley had the other two Phils’ hits, with Rollins’ being a three-run home run. The Phils’ offense appear to be now out of its slump, as the end of the regular season comes closer.

The Phils (86-60, 1st) continue their three-games visit with the Braves (78-69, 3rd) with a night game tonight. The game will be played tonight at Turner Field and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Pedro Martinez (5-0, 2.87), who is coming off a win against the Mets in the second game of a doubleheader sweep on September 13, as he pitched eight shut out innings, giving up six hits and two walks, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 1-0 win. The Braves will counter with Javier Vazquez (13-9, 3.01), who is coming off a complete game win against the Cardinals on September 13, as he gave up only two runs on seven hits, while striking out eight, in the Braves’ 9-2 win. The Phils will be trying for the series win tonight, while at the same time trying to lower their winning number even more.

Cole Hamels pitched eight strong innings, giving up only one run on five hits as he help led the Phils to a three-game sweep of the Nationals, 4-2. The Phils now have a seven and a half games lead over the now second place Braves, while their magic number have now dropped to 10.

The game started as a pitchers’ duel between Phils’ starter Cole Hamels, who was working on a perfect game through the first five innings, striking out four, and Nationals’ starters Ross Detwiler, who was able to keep the Phils’ off the board for four innings, while giving up three hits and hitting a batter, while striking out four. The Phils then took the lead in the bottom of the fifth as, with a runner on second, and with two outs, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI double, knocking in Pedro Feliz, who had earlier walked, and then moved up to second on a Carlos Ruiz ground out, 1-3, to give the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then added to their lead in the sixth as, with the bases loaded, via walks to Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth, and a single to Ben Francisco, moving both Howard and Werth up a base, and with two man out, Ruiz received an RBI walk, forcing in Howard, and making it a 2-0 Phils’ lead, while moving Werth on to third and Francisco to second. The next batter, Hamels, then helped his own cause by hitting an RBI single, knocking in Werth, making it 3-0 Phils, while sending Francisco to third and Ruiz to second. The Nats’ would end the shut out in the seventh, an inning after Mike Morse had broken up Hamels’ no-hit bid with a lead-off single, as, with two men on, and with one man out, Elijah Dukes hits an RBI single, knocking in Ryan Zimmerman, who had earlier singled and had gone to second on Josh Willingham’s single, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead, while sending Willingham, who had earlier singled, to second base. The Phils would get the run back in their half of the seventh as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, as Werth batted, Chase Utley, who had earlier walked, had moved up to second on a wild pitch, and then moved over to third on a Howard ground out, 4-3, would score on the second wild pitch of the inning, making it 4-1 Phils. The Nats would make it 4-2 Phils in the ninth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Ian Desmond hits an RBI ground out, 5-3, knocking in Dukes, who had earlier tripled. But, that would be it as Brad Lidge would record his thirtieth save of the year by getting pinch hitter Willie Harris to fly out to center for the game’s final out.

Cole Hamels got the win as he pitched eight strong innings, giving up only one run on five hits and a walk, while striking out ten. His record is now 10-9 with a 4.07 ERA. Brad Lidge recorded his thirtieth save of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on one hit. Ross Detwiler took the lost, as he went five innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, while he struck out six. Tyler Clippard pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and three walks. Saul Rivera pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Ron Villone pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a walk and a wild pitch, while he struck out a batter. Logan Kensing pitched two-thirds of an inning, throwing a wild pitch. Marco Estrado pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

The Phillies had just six hits in the game, but getting them when they counted. Jimmy Rollins lead the way with two hits, including an RBI double, raising his average back up to .247. Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, Ben Francisco and Cole Hamels had the other four Phils’ hits, all singles, with Hamels’ single knocking in a run. Carlos Ruiz scored a Phil run with a bases loaded walk, while the other run (Utley) scored on a wild pitch. The Phils are now riding a five game winning streak, with starting pitching giving up very few, if any runs, while the Phils’ offense has been able to be a bit more productive at the plate with runners in scoring position.

The Phillies (85-60, 1st) begin a ten-games road trip with a three-games series with the Braves (78-68, 2nd), starting tonight. The game will be played at Turner Field and will start at 7:30 pm Eastern. The Phils’ starter will be J.A. Happ (10-4, 2.77), who will be making his first start since September 2, when he lost to the Giants, as he pitched six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 4-0 lost. He will be trying to make his start since he had strained his intercostal muscle while taking batting practice in Houston. The Braves will send to the mound Tim Hudson (1-0, 3.63), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals on September 12, when he went five innings, giving up four runs on ten hits and a walk, as he struck out one, in the Braves’ 7-6 win. He will be trying to keep the Braves’ slim pennant hopes alive. The Phils are entering their final road trip of the season, with a chance to all but kill the pennant chances of both the Braves this weekend and the Marlins early next week.

A ninth inning blast off of the bat of Ryan Howard help to propel the Phils to a late inning win over the Braves, 3-2. Their present winning streak is up to four games, while they still lead the Marlins by four and a half games as they increased their lead over Atlanta to six games.

The Braves took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning as, with a runner on base and with one out, Chipper Jones hits an RBI single, knocking in Nate McLouth, who had earlier doubled, and had gone on to third on Martin Prado’s ground out, 6-3. The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with a runner on base, and with nobody out, Chase Utley hits a two-run bomb, his twenty-fourth home run of the season, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Braves then tied the game up at two-all in their half of the fourth as, with a runner on base, and with two men out, Ryan Church hits a RBI double, knocking in Yunel Escobar, who had earlier reached base on a Pedro Feliz fielding error. The score would remain tied at 2-2 until the top of the ninth when, with the count 2-1, Ryan Howard hits a slider into center field to give the Phils the 3-2 lead. That would remain the final score as Brad Lidge was able to nail down his twenty-second save of the season, despite giving up a single to Adam LaRoche and a walk to pinch hitter Greg Norton, with two out, as he got McLouth to fly out to left for the final out.

Joe Blanton received a no-decision as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up only two runs on seven hits and a walk, while he struck out two. Ryan Madson got the win as he pitched a quick 1-2-3 inning. His record is now 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA. Brad Lidge recorded his twenty-second save of the season, as he gave up just one hit and a walk, while striking out one. Jair Jurrjens also got a no-decision as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk, as he struck out six. Mike Gonzalez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up just one hit. Rafael Soriano took the lost as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on one hit, while striking out the side. His record is now 1-4 with an ERA of 2.55.

The Phils had only seven hits in the game, with Jayson Werth leading the way with two hits, both singles, as he raised his batting average to .262. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and pinch hitter Ben Francisco followed with one hit apiece, with Rollins and Francisco’s hits being doubles, while Utley’s hit was a two-run home run and Howard’s hit was a solo home run. The Phils have so far won each of their games on the present road trip, in fact winning two very close games. They hope to continue to build on their lead over both the Braves and the rest of the NL East.

The Phillies (65-48, 1st) continue their three-games series with the Braves (60-55, 3rd) with an afternoon game that is being televised nationally by Fox Sports. The game will be played at Turner Field and will start at 4 pm Eastern. The Phils’ starter will be Cole Hamels (7-7, 4.77), who is coming off of a lost on August 8 to the Marlins, as he gave up four runs on five hits and four walks, as he struck out four in five and one-third innings of work in the Phils’ 6-4 lost. He will be trying to rebound from his last few bad outings. The Braves will counter with Kenshin Kawakami (5-9, 4.12), who is coming off a no-decision on August 8 against the Dodgers, where he pitched seven shutout innings, giving up just four hits and three walks, while striking out four, in the Braves’ 2-1 win. He will be trying to shut down the Phils again, like he did during his previous start against them in May. The Phils will be trying to build on their lead in the NL East, while attempting to bury the Braves deep in third place.

After losing a close one, the Phils lose badly while avoiding the added embarrassment of also being no-hitted, as they lose to the Braves, 11-1.

The Braves took the lead in the third as, with two men on, and one man out, Martin Prado hits a two-run double, scoring Braves’ starter Jair Jurrjens, who had earlier singled and had gone to second on Gregor Blanco’s single off of Phils’ starter Cole Hamels’ leg, and Blanco, who had just singled, giving Atlanta a 2-0 lead. One batter later, Chipper Jones hits an RBI single, scoring Prado, making it 3-0 Braves. The Phils got a run back in the fourth, where, with a runner on third and two men out, Greg Dobbs hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Jayson Werth, who had earlier walked, and then went all the way to third on Jurrjens’ throwing error when he tried to pick him off, making it a 3-1 Braves’ lead. From there, it would be all Atlanta. In the fifth, with two men on, and nobody out, Jones hits another two-run double, sending home Blanco, who had earlier walked and had gone to second on Prado’s single, making it a 5-1 Braves’ lead. Brain McCann then made it 6-1 with a RBI single, knocking in Jones. That would be it for Cole Hamels, as Charlie Manuel would come out of the dugout and replace him with Tyler Walker. Matt Diaz proceeded to greet Walker with a two-run home run, his fourth home run of the game, scoring McCann, and giving Atlanta a commanding 8-1 lead. Three batters later, now with two men out, Diory Hernandez hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season, and of his career, making it 9-1 Braves. Meanwhile, Jurrjens was going through the Phils’ line-up, not giving up a hit until the seventh when, with two men out, Paul Bako broke up the no-hitter attempt with a single. In the eighth, the Braves would increase their lead as, with two men on, and two men out, pinch hitter Yunel Escobar hits an RBI single, scoring Hernandez, who had earlier reached base on a Pedro Feliz’s fielding error, and then moved up to second on a Blanco’s ground out, 6-3, giving the Braves a 10-1 lead, while sending Prado, who had earlier walked, over to third. McCann then followed with an RBI single, scoring Prado, giving Atlanta an 11-1 lead, while sending Escobar to second. That would be the final score as the Phils would go down 1-2-3 in the ninth.

Cole Hamels took the lost, as he went only four innings, giving up seven runs on nine hits and two walks, while he struck out only one. His record is now 4-5 with an ERA of 4.98. Tyler Walker pitched two innings, giving up two runs on two hits, as he struck out a batter. Sergio Escalona pitched a scoreless inning, giving up only one hit, as he struck out one. Jack Taschner pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out two. Jair Jurrgens picked up the win as he pitched a strong game, giving up only a run on a hit and four walks, while he struck out six. His record is now 6-6 with an ERA of 2.73. Kris Medlen and Manny Acosta each pitched a scoreless inning, giving up only one hit (Medlen), while striking out one (Acosta) between them.

The Phillies only had two hits in the game, both singles. One was by Paul Bako, who broke up Jurrjens’ no-hitter attempt, and the other was by Shane Victorino. Greg Dobbs knocked in the Phils’ only run, bringing in Jayson Werth via a sacrifice fly, without a hit, thanks to a two-base throwing error by Jurrjens when he tried to pick-off Werth at first base after walking him. The Phillies’ offense seems to have hit the skids, while starting pitching isn’t pitching very deep into games, with the bullpen it hurting as a result. Something have got to give soon, although I have to agree with one of the announcers during last night’s game saying that dropping out of first place might be the best thing for the Phils at the moment, as it would give them something to shoot for again.

The Phils (39-36, 1st) will conclude their losing road trip with one final game with the Braves (37-40, 4th). The game will be played at Turner Field and will start at 7:00 pm Eastern time. The Phillies will send to the mound J.A. Happ (5-0, 3.00) who is coming off a complete game shut out win against the Blue Jays on June 27, where he gave up only 5 hits while striking out four, in the Phils’ 10-0 blow out win. He will be going for his sixth win of the year, his fourth since being put into the rotation, while trying to avoid a series sweep for the Phils. The Braves will counter with Javier Vazquez (5-7, 3.04), who is coming off a lost against the Red Sox, where he went seven and two-thirds innings, giving up only a run on six hits and three walks, as he struck out eight, in the Braves’ 1-0 lost. He will be hoping to get some runs support from the Braves, while hoping to add to the Phils’ offensive woes. The Phils’ lead in the National League East is now down to a half-game over the Marlins.

The Phillies lose in extra-innings as the bullpen blows yet another lead in the late innings, as the Phils lose their first game in a year to the Braves in Atlanta, 5-4.

The Phils took an early lead in the third as, with two men on base, and two men out, Ryan Howard hits a ground-rule double, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled and had gone to third on Chase Utley’s single, making it 1-0 Phils, while sending Utley over to third. The Braves would tie the game up at one-all in their half of the third as, with a runner on third and nobody out, Martin Prado hits an RBI single, scoring Gregor Blanco, who had earlier tripled. The Phils regain the lead in the fifth as, with two men out, Utley hits a solo home run, his seventeenth home run of the year, to give the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Braves would tie the game up with one swing of the bat in their half of the inning as Prado hits a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the season. Five batters later, with the bases loaded, via singles to Chipper Jones and Garret Anderson and a walk to Casey Kotchman, and with one man out, Jeff Francoeur hits an RBI ground out, 4-3, for the inning’s second out, scoring Jones and giving the Braves a 3-2 lead, while moving both Anderson and Kotchman up a base. The Phils tied it in the eighth as, with two men out, John Mayberry, Jr., hit a pinch hit home run, his fourth home run of the season. The Phils then retook the lead as Pedro Feliz followed Mayberry with a solo home run of his own, his fifth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. The Braves would tie the game up yet again in their half of the inning, as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Prado hits an RBI double, scoring Blanco, who had earlier reached base with a walk, and had then gone to second on Ryan Madson’s throwing error when he tried to pick off Blanco at first, while Prado would go on to third when Jayson Werth misplayed the ball for a fielding error. The Braves won the game in the tenth inning as, with runners on second and third, with one out, and with both the infield and outfield in to stop the winning run from scoring, Prado hits an RBI single over Mayberry’s head in left, scoring Matt Diaz, who had earlier singled and then went to third on Blanco’s single, beating Mayberry’s throw to third, giving the Braves a 5-4 extra-innings, walk-off win.

Joe Blanton got a no-decision, as he pitched five innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and three walks, while striking out three. Chad Durbin pitched two scoreless innings, giving up only one hit. Ryan Madson committed his fourth blown save, giving up a run on one hit and two walks, while striking out one. J.C. Romero pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Chan Ho Park took the lost as he gave up a run on three hits, as he struck out one, in one-third innings. His record is now 3-2 with a 6.04 ERA. Derek Lowe also received a no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out four. Eric O’Flaherty pitched an inning, getting his eighth hold, as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Mike Gonzalez recorded his fourth blown save, as he gave up two runs on two hits, while striking out a batter. Rafael Soriano pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out one. Boone Logan pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Peter Moylan got the win, as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out the two men that he would face. His record is now 2-2 with an ERA of 4.15.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Pedro Feliz leading the way with three hits, including a solo home run, knocking in a run, as he raised his average to .295. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard both followed with two hits each, with both men knocking in a run, Utley via a solo home run and Howard with a ground-rule double. Shane Victorino, Greg Dobbs and John Mayberry, Jr. had the other three Phils’ hits, with Mayberry’s being a pinch hit home run. The Phils offense is still somewhat in neutral as they wait for Raul Ibanez to return from the disabled list and their lead-off man, Jimmy Rollins to get it in gear as his batting average continue to go low.

The Phillies (39-35, 1st) continue their three-games series with the Braves (36-40, 4th) with a game tonight. The game will be played at Turner Field and it will start at 7:00 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound their ace Cole Hamel (4-4, 4.44), who is cioming off one of his worst starts this season, as he lost to the Blue Jays on June 26, as he went only four and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 6-1 lost. He will be going out to prove that he is indeed the Phils’ ace starter. The Braves will counter with Jair Jurrjens (5-6, 2.93), who is coming off a lost to the Red Sox on June 26, as he went eight innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out three, in the Braves’ 4-1 lost. He wil be trying to rebound from that lost. The Phils as a team now need to forget about June and try to put together a winning streak before the All-Star break, trying to put some serious distance between themselves and the rest of the division. But, they need to start it with a win tonight, and Hamels will have to lead the way by shutting the Braves down, no ifs, ands, or buts about it!!!!

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